Running on the floor

[bill937ca]

Out of curiosity, how many members run their trains on the floor?  I sense many of the newer members may be adopting this style.

 

One of the advantages of both Kato and Tomix track is that you do not need to have the space for bench work or the budget for bench work.  The downside is the lack of a permanent layout. But even with a permanent layout, in my case, there are times when weeks go by between operating the layout.

 

In some ways I long for a simpler layout without the ballasting and scenery. In many ways I find just grouping Japanese buildings close together is sufficient scenery to make good pictures and keep me satisfied.

 

You always want something you don't have....

[NozomiFan]

I do! I do! I don't have enough table space for a large layout to run my shinkansens, but I do run them on a carpeted surface in case of a derailment.

[Martijn Meerts]

Haven't run anything on the floor for a LONG time, might have to do that with my Marklin H0 stuff at some point up at the attic after it's been cleaned out a bit.

[CaptOblivious]

Not since the baby! But I do frequently set up "floor" layouts on my desk.

[David]

Apart from one small table the floor is all I've got right now.

[grumbeast]

Floor layouts on your desk...  nows thats an inspiration for running trains at work!!  I wonder if I could fit something small on a wall.. or even some tight tram type layout on my desk at work :)

 

as for on the floor.. no.. but then I do have the space for a layout (with all the inherent problems about completion that that incurs!)

 

Graham

[to2leo]

I really don't recommend people to run n scale/ n gauge trains on the floor.  The issues of dust collected in the motor or the threat of big feet stepping on them are too great!  Let alone the ever hungry canine and the always curious feline.

 

On the other hand, those who have a wife or a partner might love seeing you play on the floor because you will probably clean or vacuum the floor before you lay down your tracks...that is until you decide to make it permanent with trees and houses.

[qwertyaardvark]

Until i start working on my first permanent layout later this january, I primarily played with my trains on some sort of table, and occasionally on the floor if i wanted *really* long runs for various full length Shinkansen, 700T and Eurostar sets. While usually contained in one room, my temp layouts did occasionally spill out into the hallway ^_^

 

@to2leo: i dont think dust is a problem when playing on just-broomed hardwood floor and keeping the layout out only for hours at a time. My roommates know full well the insane expenses of these trains, and they tread carefully upon hearing the whine of the small motors. and I've trained the cats to watch, but not touch the trains when they are running. a can of compressed air is kept handy at all times. :P

[bill937ca]

I really don't recommend people to run n scale/ n gauge trains on the floor. 

 

You really need to read some Japanese track plan books.  This is what Kato and Tomix tracks are designed for in their home market.

[Bernard]

I do have a question about carpeted floors. Couldn't the carpet fibers possibly get into the truck gears? 

[to2leo]

You really need to read some Japanese track plan books.  This is what Kato and Tomix tracks are designed for in their home market.

 

I hear ya I hear ya    but I am still going put out a word of caution especially for N Scale because I have been hearing this every Christmas...

 

From Trainboard.  Title: The Holiday season of locomotive failures.

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=115813

"So I made a christmas tree layout this year with my n scale fleet, knowing full well that laying kato unitrack on the hardwood floor was a bad idea. I did my best to combat the dust and cat hair but yesterday my most reliable engine bit the dust. My P42 Genesis by kato just stopped dead on the tracks. Other trains run fine. I don't know where to begin with troubleshooting. There seems to be a lack of good info on the web. I have all the tools and some mechanical ability as I came from the RC hobby.

 

Also on the dead list is my kato sd40-2. It needed a cleaning so I disassembled and reassembled, now it runs noiser and worse. I know it has something to do with the gears...possibly a mesh problem or dirt. I cannot disassemble the truck to reveal the gears inside the plastic case. Is this even possible?

 

Lastly, the Atlas U-Boat...newer series is also not running. A tough season for my trains indeed."

 

If I really need to put it on the floor, I will just use the Kato double Viaduct sets so that it is still away from the floor.

[bill937ca]

I do have a question about carpeted floors. Couldn't the carpet fibers possibly get into the truck gears? 

 

Tomix documents do specifically mention carpet running.  These usually are temporary running sessions which would be put down and taken up the same day usually because bedding will occupy the space at night.

[Hezekiah Strawbody]

I really don't recommend people to run n scale/ n gauge trains on the floor. 

 

You really need to read some Japanese track plan books.  This is what Kato and Tomix tracks are designed for in their home market.

 

Mainly because Japanese houses do not usually have carpet, and their floors are clean 

[NozomiFan]

I run my trains exclusively on carpet and never seemed to have a problem, but the occasional lint ball comes rolling onto the track.

I will start a permanent train layout some time in the near future, but I need to find a good plan. Any ideas? Something that will fit in a semi- small area of a room?

[CaptOblivious]

You really need to read some Japanese track plan books.  This is what Kato and Tomix tracks are designed for in their home market.

 

I hear ya I hear ya    but I am still going put up a word of caution especially for N Scale because I have been hearing this every Christmas...

 

I think that those of us who run on the floor, and this includes Japanese modelers, don't leave our trains out for an entire season… Maybe a day or two at most. I agree that leaving them out like that for weeks is certainly asking for trouble!

[ToniBabelony]

For the moment I'm running on the floor, but I really would like to have a layout with a fiddle-yard at -1 level and the actual layout at 0 and +1 level. This requires some serious building and planning though, so I'm now bound to floor-running. To protect the trains from dust, I've used some spare planks from a non-existing closet and have them run on that.

 

Below are some quick pictures I took after getting the remaining tracks and a few coaches from the customs. It's not a real ideal plan, but it works for now; I can run full-length trains, including my Hankyu 6300 8-car formation! Though, it's more satisfying to run shorter trains.

 

Also, with so many switches involved, I now slowly start to realise the importance of electrically operated switches... The only ones that aren't manually operated are my double-slip and the double crossover...

[IST]

I am living in a small flat, so currently I am running on the floor also, mainly at the weekends. My modul layout is under construction (soooooo long), so I have no other choices. At the last Saturday, my friends came over and brought their Unitrack sets also, so I cleaned our living room and we can build track in bigger size. Here are some picture about this 'event':

http://www.vonatmagazin.hu/?p=15766

Stock is not Japanese as I only have Unitram set, but maybe it can be interesting. Size is N of course.

[EWS60008]

I used to run my Lima trains on the floor when I was a child as I had very limited space for a baseboard layout but I found out that the driveline and the motors did not like carpet fluff the hard way as my uncle had to clean out the crap that bu**ed the motor up in the first place. So he gave me some cardboard sheets to put under the track which solved that problem but the family pets somehow seemed to like derailing my trains on a regular basis! :BangHead: .

 

But the reason I use N gauge nowadays is because the range of locomotives and rolling stock available in this scale is so diverse than those available in OO and HO gauge .

[scott]

Here are some picture about this 'event':

http://www.vonatmagazin.hu/?p=15766

 

That's a pretty impressive setup--the ICE set is huge, but it fits fine. :-)

[IST]

That's a pretty impressive setup--the ICE set is huge, but it fits fine. :-)

 

Yes, but we had to note that the ICE set is not in friendship with the V2 set. Curves on this set are too small and the side walls reach the long ICE cars' side. 

[disturbman]

I love your temporary layout IST. I think I'll try to have the same at home.

 

And I didn't spot the ICE, my eyes were too much riveted on the big (is it complete) Eurostar set. 

[bc6]

Im also a floor runner since it's not practical for me to have a table mounted layout. Having had a table mounted layout I can say it does not let me be flexible in layout design that can change at a moments notice. When I setup my layout on the floor usually run a viaduct and ground level track and do not leave it up for more than a day or two because of the unknown when Im not home. I try not to leave my expensive toy laying around when they may get crushed by 50 foot Japanese vinyl clad women lol. I put my track on a bare floor and haven't encountered any dust bunnies sneaking into the mechanisms of my trains with great success. I would have to have a really good track plan to give up playing on the floor. Toni & IST those are nice layouts you have thanks for posting pics of them.

[Mudkip Orange]

what

[IST]

When I setup my layout on the floor usually run a viaduct and ground level track and do not leave it up for more than a day or two because of the unknown when Im not home.

 

We built this layout in 30 minutes, played on them a few hours and pack all of the track into the boxes. When I build a layout for myself, it is always on the floor for 3-4 days. Have no kids, so only my wife can cause any trouble, but she keeps enough distance from my trains.

 

I would like to expand this topic with one question:

How do you store your model? It takes a lot of time to take out models from boxes always when you would like to play on the temporary floor build layout. How do you handle this?

[bc6]

When I setup my layout on the floor usually run a viaduct and ground level track and do not leave it up for more than a day or two because of the unknown when Im not home.

 

We built this layout in 30 minutes, played on them a few hours and pack all of the track into the boxes. When I build a layout for myself, it is always on the floor for 3-4 days. Have no kids, so only my wife can cause any trouble, but she keeps enough distance from my trains.

 

I would like to expand this topic with one question:

How do you store your model? It takes a lot of time to take out models from boxes always when you would like to play on the temporary floor build layout. How do you handle this?

 

I always keep my trains in their bookcases and it takes forever it seems to set up trains. I have a bad habit of wanting to run multiple models at the same time since I have varied tastes in Japanese trains. its extremely time consuming when you have trains with add on sets. This is one reason I keep my temorary layout up for at least a couple of days before breaking it down. I thought about this situation when deciding should I get the 5 car add on set for my 10 car E531 set, needless to say I did not get the 5 car add on set.